Hrishikesh Kanitkar has taken himself and Rajasthan to the cusp of greatness. Having led Rajasthan to their first ever Ranji trophy win in the 2010-11 season, the former India batsman went on to prove it was no fluke by taking the team to the pinnacle of Indian cricket again the following year. Now, with his team gunning to become only the 2nd team ever after Bombay to win the trophy at least thrice in succession, Kanitkar feels his team has what it takes to complete the amazing feat.

Speaking to Cricbuzz, Kanitkar expressed optimism about his team winning the coveted trophy for the 3rd time in three years and feels even though they will struggle without top order mainstay Aakash Chopra, his team can pull through.

Only two years ago, the left handed middle order batsman was a long forgotten entity with people only associating his name with the famous Independence Cup win over Pakistan in January, 1998. 13 long years later, Kanitkar ensured his name was on every Indian cricket aficionado's lips by guiding Rajasthan to their maiden Ranji triumph. Another year later and another Ranji trophy later, history beckons the soft spoken Kanitkar and his team.

He wouldn't say if that is one of the personal goals he's set for himself this season, preferring to concentrate more on what his team needs to do to win. "I'd prefer is if my personal goals stayed personal," he said.

"The feeling(in the camp) is very good and we are optimistic of winning the Ranji one more time. We have a good team with a lot of promising youngsters who are keen on doing well, but obviously it all matters on how the team plays during that match," Kanitkar added.

A big blow for Rajasthan would be losing Aakash Chopra. The former India opener chose to represent Himachal Pradesh this year as it would present him with a different challenge and Kanitkar chose to see the positive side of it. "Losing Aakash Chopra is definitely a huge blow. He has been very instrumental in helping our team win the tournament. He played brilliantly at the top of the order, seeing off the new ball and then going on to score big runs. He also helped the middle order cash in big time thanks to his show at the top," the 37 year old said.

"But this gives the opportunity to many youngsters to step up and take Aakash's place in the team. We will definitely be missing a very good player but we are optimistic that a youngster will take up the chance and prove himself."

When asked if there was one particular player in the team who he thought has the potential to replace a seasoned player like Aakash, Kanitkar earmarked Ankit Lamba but added that there were plenty others waiting on the wings. "There are actually quite a few players who could stake a claim for that spot. It is actually a nice luxury to have, the fact that many youngsters are waiting to grasp the opportunity with both hands. Ankit Lamba is one of the players to watch out for, but there are many others."

Kanitakar added that he was extremely pleased with the start his team got off to in the KSCA invitational, Shafi Darashah tournament. "It was a great start, even for me personally. We were able to impose ourselves pretty well against a tough team and everything planned came off very well. However, I felt we could have bowled a lot better, that's what I think and that's what the team thinks. But in the end, I am very happy with our performance." he said.

Like many others Kanitkar too said he had no answer to why no one from his Championship winning team made it to the National side. "Honestly, I don't know the answer to that question. The team has played brilliantly but the final call rests with the selectors. I wish I knew the answer to that question but I don't know what the answer is," Kanitkar summed up.

His team may not have the big names like many others do and certainly does not have the history a few heavyweights boast of, but Kanitkar and his team have proved (twice) that it is not what the team has on paper or what the team has done that matters. In his own words "the best team on the day will win," and going by their performance at the beginning of the season it would be very hard to say they will not be THAT team.